"Did you find the information you needed?"
Zhou Yun glanced at Markit and Mong as he asked. The two of them were holding a sheepskin scroll and a data slate in their hands.
Markit nodded, though he too seemed to be scrutinizing Zhou Yun.
Standing beside him, Mong voiced their shared question: "What about the weapons you came here for?"
On Zhou Yun's body, there wasn't even a single autopistol, let alone a whole warehouse worth of weapons.
"I already moved them all," Zhou Yun said with a faint smile.
His haul from the PDF warehouse was, frankly, astonishing.
The star system Asford belonged to was called the "Shield of Hades," a system that had long served as a bulwark guarding the Blood Angels' homeworld of Baal.
Over the ages, the Shield of Hades had intercepted Eldar, Chaos traitors, and Ork WAAAGHs. The PDFs here had been hardened by countless campaigns and were better equipped than standard planetary defense forces.
Zhou Yun had found no fewer than five hundred Agripinaa-pattern Mark 3 automatic rifles, two hundred M40 Armageddon-patterns and U90 assault cannons.
He'd even discovered fifty Cadian Guardsman-standard issue Catachan-pattern M36 lasguns. Zhou Yun was surprised — Cadian Guardsmen were among the very elite of the Astra Militarum, and here were fifty of their standard-issue weapons sitting in a PDF depot.
When Mong noticed Zhou Yun's barely suppressed grin, he strode into the PDF warehouse to check, only to return a moment later with a look of shock.
"It's empty! The whole PDF warehouse is empty?!"
Mong took a deep breath and couldn't help asking:
"You really moved an entire warehouse of weapons? Where did you put them?"
Then he shook his head and muttered to himself: "Forget it. I won't ask any more questions."
Zhou Yun gave Mong an odd look. He had a feeling the guy was completely misunderstanding.
"I don't really have that many secrets," Zhou Yun scratched his head and said casually.
"The First Legion doesn't either," the winged figure in the white light murmured faintly.
Mong didn't follow up, instead handing Zhou Yun the data slate.
"Here's the map of the old Eighth District we promised you."
Zhou Yun accepted the slate and saw every street of the old Eighth District clearly marked.
He quickly found the location of the Corpse Guild. According to Old One-Eye's intel, the notebook that had belonged to Ignace Karkasy was most likely hidden there.
A faintly satisfied smile curled Zhou Yun's lips.
This trip to the old Eighth District was proving more than worthwhile.
He used the Anywhere Ring to open a tunnel at the back of the PDF depot that led to the city portion of the old Eighth District, which had been inaccessible due to the collapsed rubble pile, blocking both scavengers and gang members.
The streets here were wider than those of the Underhive, broad enough for three or four vehicles to drive side by side, lined with orderly high-rises that extended into the darkness.
The whole city was silent, shrouded in darkness, and more than a little unsettling.
Markit gave Zhou Yun a slight nod before leading Mong into the dark streets, their figures soon swallowed by the gloom.
Watching the two disappear, Zhou Yun shook his head.
Whatever they were planning, it probably wasn't going to succeed.
Even without him, they would have eventually found a way into the PDF depot and retrieved what they were looking for — but as far as Zhou Yun remembered, Asford never suffered a major Chaos incursion before its eventual destruction. Meaning whatever Markit and Mong were scheming would ultimately fail.
And even if they did succeed…
Zhou Yun thought of the not-too-distant future — the chaotic battle in the Shield of Hades, where Blood Angels, Sisters of Battle, Astra Militarum, Necrons, and the Tyranid Leviathan fleet would all clash.
One more or less Chaos cult didn't really matter at that point. Markit and Mong's little plan would never summon more than a token Plague host.
And anyway, to the Great Devourer, Chaos was nothing but inedible trash, a rival predator trying to snatch its prey.
In Chaos' eyes, the Great Devourer was little better — a soulless beast competing for the same meal.
If anything, when the two met, they'd probably end up fighting each other.
"Forget it," Zhou Yun muttered, shaking his head. None of that had anything to do with him.
He figured this was the last he'd see of those two cultist clowns.
Zhou Yun refocused his attention on the large cache of firearms and weapons stored in his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item: Agripinaa-pattern Mark 3 Infantry Automatic Rifle]
[Origin: Cadia Sector - Agripinaa System - Agripinaa]
[Description: A common infantry automatic rifle manufactured on Agripinaa, with only basic iron sights. Heavy and has strong recoil.]
[Note: "The reassuring weight of an infantry rifle."]
[Manufacture Date: 765.M41]
[Condition: PDF-issue, 90% new]
[Value: 2500 credits each]
[Item: M40 Armageddon-pattern Automatic Rifle]
[Origin: Armageddon System - Armageddon]
[Description: A common infantry automatic rifle manufactured on Armageddon. Loud, simple, and deadly, with enhanced effect against Orks.]
[Note: "Carried by the soldiers who marched with Commissar Yarrick. Even Orks think this rifle packs a punch."]
[Manufacture Date: 865.M41]
[Condition: PDF-issue, 90% new]
[Value: 3000 credits each]
[Item: U90 Assault Cannon]
[Value: 3000 credits each]
[Item: Catachan-pattern M36 Lasgun]
[Value: 5000 credits each]
Zhou Yun did a quick mental calculation: after selling the 200 Agripinaa rifles to Lag's gang, the rest of the weapons could still fetch a whopping 1.6 million credits in the four-dimensional pocket.
That was a fortune!
He couldn't help but lick his lips. If he raided another seven or eight PDF depots, he could probably scrape together enough for an Anywhere Door.
But he quickly quashed that idea.
Not that he was afraid — with the 1.6 million he'd already earned, he could buy more gear, use the Body Clay to hide his identity, and the Psychic Hat to teleport out. He still had a chance of hitting a few more depots.
The problem was that the current Governor, Augustus Wanli Revived Flax, didn't care much about the PDF, so there probably wasn't much good equipment left anyway. The risk-to-reward ratio wasn't worth it.
And more importantly, even if Augustus Flax was lazy, if Zhou Yun cleaned out another seven or eight PDF depots in one go, the Governor would definitely notice.
From what Zhou Yun remembered, that guy had secretly assembled a private squad of sanctioned psykers.
Not just one psyker — a whole organized psychic strike team. A squad of psykers was far more dangerous than any PDF.
Zhou Yun deeply suspected the Governor's method of recruiting those psykers wasn't exactly… loyal.
"So, what's your next move?" the winged figure in the white light asked.
"First, I'm going to the Corpse Guild to find that notebook Old One-Eye wanted."
(End of Chapter)
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